Moley

Is this specific to the L & L ? I can't say I've ever noticed any white marks.

I found a nice thin parting tool so there isn't too much waste. Anyway, I'm not likely to be needing the 3/4" brass rod for anything else.

Ok, I want to tell you a story. My Dad was a time served machine operator (turning, milling etc.) and worked his way up to foreman / works manager with a medium sized local engineering company. When my Mom was quite ill and had to spend a fair bit of time in hospital, Dad couldn't work all hours but had to look after the house and the baby (yours truly). The company then shat on him, downgraded him, promoted someone else to works manager and cut Dad's wages. He told them what he thought of them and quit. He took another job with another company within walking distance of home. He was already well known to, and respected by them, and I understand they were quite incredulous. “What? You want a job? Here? Well of course there's a job for you, but we can't pay what you're worth,” No matter, he took it as a stop-gap but had already decided to leave industry and go into teaching, so worked there while he went to night school to get his City & Guilds. He took yet another pay cut when he started at Warley College as an assistant lecturer, then worked his way up through the grades to Senior Lecturer and then Head of Department of Industrial Engineering, responsible for at least half a dozen fairly large workshops and a good number of staff. Sadly, engineering and manufacturing industries were already taking a nose-dive and workshops were already being closed by the time Dad was offered early retirement. Machinery was being put up for tender, so Dad decided he wanted a lathe at home and set about canibalising other machines and building himself the best lathe he could, best motor, best gearbox, etc. It was then wheeled out into the corridor, with “Scrap” painted on both ends in blue Hammerite. The handwriting looks familiar. Dad put in the highest bid for it, which wasn't a lot, I believe he got it for fifty quid (this would be 20 years ago). Although I lost my Dad 5 years ago, Mom's still living in the same house and his garage workshop is still pretty much as he left it, and I haven't parted with any of his tools or machinery. When Graham said that he'd received some offers by PM, the first of those was probably from myself, although I didn't want to post anything on open forum at the time, and it was entirely subject to my being able to find a suitable length of brass rod, which I wouldn't be able to check until Monday evening. I found the rod, as I expected, it didn't take me too long to locate the necessary drills and cutting tools, I machined the first few yesterday evening, and Graham, they are now in the post. How long that takes is out of my hands.

If you insist:

Well you have to, don't you? Around our way I think it has been quite a good year for blackberries, I had been stopping for just 10 minutes each day on my drive to w**k but averaging around 12 oz of berries a day, washing, checking and freezing them when I got home. I already have 3 gallons of Blackberry & Apple which have just about fermented out. Went out for a short day-chug down to Stourport and back, 3 weekends ago, on our daughter's birthday, with a few of her friends onboard. Spotted our own “hanging gardens” on the outbound, then picked them on the return. We also found a couple of trees laden with yellow plums, so by Mrs. Mole driving the bow towards one tree, myself at the pointy end grabbing hold of a suitable branch, and then her reversing the blunt end into another tree, we managed to pick a good load in quite a short space of time, assisted by daughter walking along the roof and trying to shake them into a landing net. We did have one passing boater slow to ask if we were grounded or needed assistance, but he moved on laughing when he saw we were doing just fine. We've just been out for the week, pausing to pick occasionally, and I've been out scavenging most mornings before rest of family bothered to rise and greet the day, so I've come back with a 3 gallon bucketful of Blackberry & Elderberry, a 2 gallon bucket of Rosehip, and 5 gallons' worth of Damsons are now in our freezer. May have to go for another day-chug tomorrow as I spotted some grade A elderberries and another glut of damsons when we were almost home.

Depends on whether or not you like Ally Tomato wine is “doubtful”, and the stems and foliage could produce a toxic brew.

On the contrary, with bottle conditioned ales the slight vibration actually helps the sediment to compact. The beer figure is volume produced, and I've still got quite a good store down our cellar, with a choice of 6 brews. The wine is mostly still in demijohns and I currently have 17 gallons on-the-go with a further 11 gallons down the cellar finished, clearing or maturing. That means that 14 gallons has already been bottled = 84 bottles, of which at least 40 still remain. Like I said, the boat will be very well stocked, if we happen to meet up with any other forum members. PS: Isn't it about time we had another Banter?

Yes, I only returned to winemaking and brewing this March after many years off, but have gone for it in a big way. Current running total is 317 pints of beer, 4 gallons of cider and 42 gallons of wine. However, this is taking over our house and none has been made on the boat. I'm now brewing All Grain, so while kit brewing would certainly be possible onboard, AG would be a bit more challenging, I'm not sure if our stove and gas supply would cope with a 50 litre boiler. Beer kits I would recommend: Cooper's Dark Ale (made with extra spraymalt), and EDME Stout seems to be regarded as one of the best. We're off chugabout the week after next, so the boat will be very well stocked, and will save us a tidy sum on bar bills

I would still go with the red oxide.

I don't necessarily agree that the local population is especially weird, but I suppose Kiddy has its fair share. It's mostly harmless but there are areas (like Horsefair) where I'd be very wary at night. "Leave someone onboard while you go shopping" is probably taking things a bit too far, but use your common sense. Again, the winos by the church are mostly harmless. Give them a cheery wave or raise a glass or can to them as you approach. Going shopping can often be tricky as I believe our pound holds the BW record for sunken trolly density. Mooring can be tricky. I'm always very careful around Tesco but it's usually ok by Sainsbury's. Some time ago NB Weatherwax (very posh and shiny) was broken into, set adrift and torched. On our moorings NB Bronwyn (recently repainted and looks quite posh and shiny from the outside) has had two windows taken out by catapult from towpath side, those big Napton windows, in one side and out the other, so covering windows is a wise precaution. If ours was a posh and shiny boat I'd moor someplace else. As for getting stuck under Limekiln bridge, you aren't the first and won't be the last. From experience, we only ever approach that bridge hole on lowest tickover, with Mrs. Mole at the tiller and me on the bow, feeling our way with a pole and hook.

Hi Tony, We´ve been seriously concerned about your extended absence on the forum, especially after I sent you a birthday text and got no answer, so are delighted to see you back. Please let us know if your route brings you anywhere in our direction, it would be great to meet up again. Give us a couple of days though, I gather the weather has been atrocious back home so I´m not as bothered as I was that the Moles have foresaken the waterways for the Canaries this year. Back soon though